Rolling your own

[Bruce593SX]

http://www.eaavideo.org/video.aspx?v=2735032127001

Saw him at Oshkosh, saw some good samples on aluminum

[rizzz]

Well, I’ve given up on the roller idea, spray painting instead.
Not that rolling did not work, it did. I just found spraying to be easier and much less time consuming.

The thing with rolling is that there is much more mucking around with rollers, trays, rags brushes etc.
Secondly, with this particular system, the primer does not self-level so quite a bit of sanding is required afterwards to avoid orange peel effect.
The paint does not have this problem but off course if the primer underneath is not level the paint won’t be either.
Also I found rolling ok on big flat surfaces but how do you get to those little areas where a roller won’t go, brush?
Finally, when rolling you need at least 24h between coats and sanding in between every time, spraying you wait 15-20 minutes for the coat to get tacky and then you put the next one on. I can get a part fully primed or painted within a few hours spraying, rolling it takes a few days this way.




So yeah, it worked but was a bit of a hassle so I thought I’d had a go at spraying, here’s what I’ve done so far, primed some control surfaces. Results are great, perfect flat surface ready to paint.
Now that I have a flat primed surface I could still do the top coat with a roller job for the top coat but I might as well have a go at spraying this as well. See how I go…

[rizzz]

H All,

Just an update on my painting experiences.
I’ve mow completely abandoned the roll on method. The paint I’m using just does not seem to work that well rolling it on.
I’m just spraying it on and getting much better results.

I’m still using the same Norglass paint though and I am very happy with it.
The primer is a 2K epoxy, the paint is a 2K polyurethane.
Spraying was a bit of a struggle at first but I’m getting the hang of it.
The primer is easy, no problem with that at all, but the top coat is a bit more tricky.
Apart from getting the consistency of the paint correct, I find it’s all about getting the balance right between having enough paint on there so it flows out right, but not too much so it doesn’t start sagging and/or running.
Initially I had a few parts I had to sand down and start over but luckily my technique has improved a lot since.

Anyway, you can see some pictures below. So far I’ve done the elevator, flaps, ailerons, vertical and horizontal stabilizer.
Now I have to move on to the bigger bits, starting with the wings this week.

Oh yeah, instead of etching/alodyning to prepare the aluminium, I’m using a product called “PreKote” (http://www.prekote.com/).
For those who are not familiar with PreKote, It’s an aviation grade product that replaces these processes but is much more environmentally friendly. I highly recommend it.

[MichaelFarley56]

Very impressive Michael! The gloss looks excellent! Does that paint give a nice shine? It sure looks nice from the pictures you've posted!

Out of curiousity, how many coats of paint have you sprayed on the tail feathers? Please keep posting updates; I'm very curious on how the end result turns out. Thank you!

[rizzz]

Very impressive Michael! The gloss looks excellent! Does that paint give a nice shine? It sure looks nice from the pictures you've posted!

Out of curiousity, how many coats of paint have you sprayed on the tail feathers? Please keep posting updates; I'm very curious on how the end result turns out. Thank you!

Thanks Michael.

I'm extremely happy with the shine.
The paint does not require a clear coat and/or buffing to get full shine.

It's not a perfect paint job as you would expect from first time amateur spray job done in a "tent" built out of builders plastic in a garage, some minor defects exist here and there, but still, not bad at all. I'm quite pleased so far.

The primer I'm using comes in a white and a grey color, it goes on in 2 light coats and is lightly sanded afterwards.
I'm using the white primer and because of this I can get away with one light tack coat followed by one full bodied coat 15 minutes later, that's it. This is acceptable as per the manufacturers instructions for the application of the white paint on whitye primer (more info here if you're interested: http://www.norglass.com.au/file_downloa ... m_Info.PDF)

I found the red paint indeed requires an extra coat (so 1 tack coat followed by 2 full bodied coats).

[Corby202]

Thats looking good Michael. Let me know when you are finished and I will bring mine over for you to paint

[rizzz]

Thats looking good Michael. Let me know when you are finished and I will bring mine over for you to paint

Hey Phil.
No problem :D

[rizzz]

Priming the left wing:

[Darick]

What design program did you use for the paint scheme?

[rizzz]

What design program did you use for the paint scheme?

Paint.net :D

Edit:
I've got at least 20 designs I made before settling on this one, contact me offline if you'd like a copy of the others.